seriously asian

Adapted from From Kebabs to Curries by Madhur Jaffrey....

Red Curry Paste Recipe

red chilies

shallots,

garlic,

galangal,

lemongrass stalks, finely chopped

kaffir lime peel,

cilantro

white pepper

coriander

cumin

shrimp paste

red paprika

Place the chilies in a small bowl with approximately 1/4 cup of hot water. Microwave the chilies in the water for 2 to 3 minutes, then let sit for 30 minutes.

Place the softened chilies, along with the soaking liquid, in a blender with the rest of the ingredients. Blend, pushing down with a spoon or rubber spatula, until you have a smooth paste. Use immediately or freeze in plastic bags.

Chicken Rendang Recipe

turmeric

galangal, 2 inches long, peeled and thinly sliced

chicken,

chicken

cinnamon sticks,

star anise

coconut milk

sugar

Kaffir limes, finely cut

Salt

To make the paste: Cut the aromatic part of the lemongrass into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place the cut lemongrass, shallots, garlic, turmeric, galangal, and chilies in a small food processor. Pulse until the consistency is chunky-smooth, adding a teaspoon or so of water if necessary to get the paste moving along.

Cut the chicken into a dozen or so pieces and pat dry with a paper towel.

Heat the oil in a shallow skillet (nonstick is best) over medium heat. Add the cinnamon and star anise, stirring it around for a minute. Add the paste and sauté for one to two minutes.

Add the coconut milk, sugar, lime leaves, and salt. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or so, until the liquid has reduced by 1/4.

Add the chicken to the coconut milk mixture and stir well to combine. Continue to simmer, uncovered, stirring every 20 minutes of so to prevent the chicken from sticking too much to the bottom of the pan. (A little crust building at the bottom of the pot is desirable.) Simmer for 1 1/2 hours, until the liquid has mostly reduced and the coconut oil is bubbling in the pot. Salt to taste, about 1 teaspoon.

Reduce the heat to very low and brown the chicken in the coconut oil, stirring every 5 minutes. Take care not to break up the pieces of chicken, which will be extremely tender. Continue sautéing the chicken in the oil until the surface is a golden brown. This will take about 15 to 20 minutes. If there is too much oil left in the pan, depending on how rich your coconut milk was, remove the excess oil. (Do NOT discard the oil—it is delicious and flavorful, and exceptionally good for sauteing potatoes or other meats.) Let the dish rest for a few minutes, then serve.

If you shop at Asian markets, you may have seen packages of tan-colored, wrinkled bundles resembling gnarled sticks. While its dried appearance may not look particularly appetizing, tofu skin, also called yuba, dried beancurd, or soybean skin, is my go-to vegetarian option to serve to vegetarians who miss the taste of meat.

Seriously Asian: Tofu Skin Recipe

soy sauce

rice wine,

inch-chunk ginger

cinnamon

chilies,

The day or night before, rehydrate the sticks by placing them in a container with water to cover. Let sit at room temperature for at least 6 hours and up to a day.

Cut the sticks into 3 inch chunks and place them into a medium-sized pot along with the rest of the ingredients. Pour enough stock or water into the pot to fully cover the sticks (about 2 cups, depending on the size of your vessel.)  Simmer for 30 minutes, or until sticks are tender and flavor.  Serve warm or tepid.  

Dried red chilis and whole Sichuan peppercorns give this chicken a warm and tingling heat.

Sichuan Chicken with Peppercorns and Chile Recipe

chicken thighs, skin-on,

For the marinade:

teapoons salt

Shaoxing wine

cornstarch

water

To stir-fry:

garlic

1/2 inch chunk of ginger, thinly sliced

red chillies

Sichuan peppercorns

bell pepper,

Cut the chicken 1/2 cubes. Mix with the marinade ingredients and set aside.

Heat wok over high heat.  Add 1/3 cup oil and place all of the chicken into the oil, stirring gently to fry the meat. Cook until chicken is lightly browned, then remove the chicken from the oil and set aside.  Pour off a few tablespoons of the oil; leave about 3 tablespoons left in the wok.  

Heat the wok over high heat until it's almost smoking. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the chillies and Sichuan pepper and stir-fry for a few seconds until they are fragrant, taking care not to burn them.

Add the green bell peppers to the wok and stir-fry until they are tender-crisp.  

Add the chicken back to the wok and continue to stir-fry for 30 seconds, until the ingredients are well-combined. Serve immediately.  

The current obsession with ramps, those wild leeks that go for a premium in farmers' markets and gourmet food stores, had me thinking about my own favorite garlick-y, leek-y vegetable: Chinese chives, or jiu cai. Though Chinese chives resemble the more recognizable chives used as herbs, the former are substantial and leafy, which places them squarely in the vegetable rather than the garnish camp. Garlicky in flavor and juicy and crisp in texture, jiu cai are commonly stir-fried or added to dumplings.

Seriously Asian: Chinese Chives Recipe

cooking oil

eggs

Salt and pepper

Wash and dry the chives. Cut into sections 1 inch long and set aside. 

Place a wok over high heat and heat until almost smoking. Swirl in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Crack the eggs into the wok and stir around with a spatula. Add salt and pepper to taste. When the eggs are nearly cooked in large, fluffy curds (about 30 seconds), remove from the heat.  

Reheat the wok over high heat and heat until almost smoking. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil. Toss in the chives and stir-fry for 20 seconds to a minute, depending on the type of chive. Yellow chives take the shortest amount of time.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Place the eggs back into the wok and mix with the chives.  Plate and serve immediately.

[Photographs: Chichi Wang] Taking a hiatus from my usual spoilsport-y self, I caved into the pressure of Halloween and served a menu built around orange foodstuffs. To start, a persimmon and daikon salad. To end, a kabocha cheesecake. The entrée...

Seriously Asian: Thai Curries, Part One: Lobster in Yellow Curry Sauce Recipe

can of coconut milk, left undisturbed for several hours

vegetable oil

yellow curry paste

hot curry powder, cayenne pepper

lobsters,

kaffir lime leaves,

To form the sauce: Open the can of coconut milk and skim off the top layer of thick cream, about 4 tablespoons worth. Stir the remaining milk to reincorporate the coconut cream.  

Pour the oil into a large, nonstick lidded pan and set over medium heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the coconut cream and the yellow curry paste. Stir the paste around until it is lightly browned and the oil has separated from the coconut in the cream. You have just cracked the coconut.  Now, add the curry powder and stir a few times. 

Add the liquids: the coconut milk and about 1/2 cup of water to thin it out. You can add more or less water, depending on your preference for the consistency.  Add salt to taste.  Stir and bring to a simmer.  

Cover the pot and simmer for another 5 minutes or so over low heat.  This may all be done in advance and kept covered for 2 to 3 hours.  

To prepare the lobster: Twist off the tail from the head of the body.  Then twist off the legs and set aside. Twist off the front claws. Using a cleaver or a heavy knife, hack the claws into 3 sections and set aside. Do the same for the tail, cutting it into 3 or 4 sections. For the head, reach inside and remove the stomach sac. Now split the head into two, lengthwise. Reserve the tomalley in a small bowl.  

When you are ready to serve, bring the curry sauce back to a simmer.  Put in all the lobster pieces and stir gently. Bring the curry sauce to a simmer and cover the pot, cooking gently for 10 minutes. Occasionally, stir the lobster around and spoon the sauce over the lobster. Simmer just until the lobster meat is cooked through, taking care not to overcook the meat. Towards the last two minutes of cooking, add the tomalley and stir gently. 

Chop the kaffir or basil leaves, and add to the pot.  Serve immediately.  

Tea Smoked Fish Recipe

fish fillet

¼ cup vermouth or rice wine,

tea,

heavy duty aluminum foil

Steep  fish in wine and sprinkle salt on top.  Let soak in marinade for eight hours to one day, turning fish over once or twice.

Set up pot with steamer insert.  Steam fish for five to eight minutes until fish begins to flake. Remove  fish from heat and allow to cool, 10 to 20 minutes.

Cover wok with foil on the bottom, taking care that foil snugly fits in the wok.  Mixa leaves, rice, and sugar at the bottom of the wok.  Place steaming rack in the middle of the wok, or use chopsticks to make a grid over tea leaves.

Carefully blot any residual moisture from fish.  Place fish directly on rack or chopsticks.  Place lid on wok and use overlap of foil to seal shut.

Turn on exhaust fan and open all windows in the house.  Over high heat, toast tea and rice until smoky wisps begin to emerge from wok, 3 to 6 minutes.  Toast for 5-7 minutes longer, then shut off heat and let fish sit in wok for 5 to 7 minutes longer.  The smells will begin to turn smoky - turn off heat before you smell burning.  Fish will be golden to dark brown, depending on time and type of tea leaf.  Serve tepid or refrigerate and serve cold.  Fish may be kept in refrigerator for about a week.  

Cold, nutty soba noodles pair perfectly with a soy sauce and mirin dipping sauce.

Classic Cold Soba Recipe

dashi

mirin

soba

Accompaniments

wasabi,

and finely chopped green onions

nori,

Bring dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar to gentle boil over medium heat.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Set out 4 serving plates. Divide equally among plates: dab of wasabi, grated daikon, and scallions.  

In the meantime, bring 2-quart pot of water to boil over high heat and add soba.  Return water to boil and cook the noodles until tender but firm, 3 to 5 minutes.  Have ready a large bowl or pot ready with ice water. Use strainer to remove soba from pot.  Place soba into ice water and chill until noodles are cold.  Drain noodles. 

Make mound with noodles on each plate.  Pour dipping sauce into individual little bowls to serve alongside noodles.  

To eat, stir some daikon, wasabi, and green onion into dipping sauce.  Take some noodles with chopsticks and dip.  

"There's a difference between the pleasantly doughy boiled dumpling and the chewier, semi-translucent steamed dumpling." I may be from Shanghai, but I think I make some pretty mean dumplings for a Southern gal. From buns, bread, and noodles, the Northern...

Seriously Asian: All About Dumplings Recipe

lamb pork

onion

green onions, washed and finely chopped

cabbage

Shaoxing rice wine

vegetable or canola oil

salt,

garam masala,

cumin,

All Purpose Flour, plus additional for sprinkling

To prepare the vegetables:  For onions, halve the onion and parboil it in boiling water for one to two minutes, until the layers of the onion have just turned translucent but are not soggy.  Let cool; then finely chop.  For leeks, separate into two sections - the white, tenderer section and the upper green, tougher section.  For the green sections, parboil for one minute and then finely chop.  

Use a few leaves of Napa cabbage or bok choy for additional moisture. To prepare, parboil for thirty seconds to one minute, until the vegetables are slightly softened but not yet translucent.  Finely chop.  

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, mixing thoroughly with your hands or a wooden spoon.  Let the filling rest for thirty minutes before using to fully allow the meat to develop its flavors.  The filling may also be kept in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, or frozen indefinitely.  

To form the dumplings: divide the dough into four or five sections to prevent the unused portions from drying out.  Cover the unused portions with a wet tea towel.  With your palms, roll each section into a cylindrical shape, and cut into sections approximately ½ inch thick and 1 inch in diameter.  Flatten each section with your palm, pushing it into a broad circle.  With your rolling pin, roll into a circle approximately 2.5 to 3 inches in diameter, tapering the edges to be thinner than the center of the circle. 

Place approximately 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of each wrapper.  Gather the wrapper together by pinching the two sides together, making pleats on just one side of the wrapper in the same direction, until you have enclosed the filling entirely.  Sprinkle a board or plate with flour.  Place finished dumplings on the plate or board and cover with a moist tea towel. 

Steam the dumplings for 7 to 9 minutes over medium-high heat, until the skins are semi-translucent.  If boiling, bring a large pot of water to a vigorous boil and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until the skins have just turned opaque.  Serve immediately with vinegar and chili-paste on the side.    

Adapted from Asian Dumplings by Andrea Nguyen.

Measure out the flour and set aside in a bowl. 

Bring the water to boil in a medium-sized pot.  When the water is boiling, immediately add all of the flour to the pot and stir vigorously with chopsticks or a wooden spoon.  Within twenty seconds, the flour and water will begin to form into a shaggy mass.    

When all the flour has been evenly moistened by the water, turn onto a floured board and begin kneading.  With the back of your hand, knead vigorously for five to seven minutes until the dough is supple and elastic.  It should not take much effort (no more than two minutes) to gather the wet mess into a cohesive dough.  If needed, sprinkle in some extra water.    

Let rest for 30 minutes before use.  Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, the dough can also be kept in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.  

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Top 9 seriously asian recipes from across the web

The most viewed seriously asian recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Red Curry Paste Recipe

Chicken Rendang Recipe

Seriously Asian: Tofu Skin Recipe

Sichuan Chicken with Peppercorns an...

Seriously Asian: Chinese Chives Rec...

Seriously Asian: Thai Curries, Part...

Tea Smoked Fish Recipe

Classic Cold Soba Recipe

Seriously Asian: All About Dumpling...

The most viewed seriously asian recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine